Burn
by NuttyElla
Summary: Her life's an inferno. Will it continue flare, or just burn out? And will anyone be scorched in the process?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: So, I'm back with yet another fic. This one, however, is kind of odd. First off, it's going to have five parts, each made up of eight chapters, some of which are petty short and sweet. Each of the five parts is written in a different style; you'll see what I mean as the story progresses. This fic does have a mature rating, mostly because of language and certain issues it deals with later on. I apologize right now if anything offends anyone; that was not its intent. I hope you like it, and please review!

**Disclaimer**: I own Tim Rozon. Back off, ladies, he's mine! xD**

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**Part I - Truth**

**Chapter One**

"I have a flight to catch, and I don't think I'll be coming back. Bye."

Tommy strode away from Jude, shoving open the door that stood in his way. He headed straight for his car, ready to drive away and never look back.

"Tommy! Tommy, wait!" Jude cried as she ran after him.

He disregarded her pleas as he ripped open the driver's door and got in. As she reached the car, Tommy slammed the door shut and stuck the key in the ignition.

"Tommy, please!"

She pounded on the windows, the door, anything to try and gain his attention. But her actions went unheeded as Tommy revved the engine and peeled away, leaving a distraught Jude in his wake.

The blonde seventeen-year-old watched as the taillights disappeared with a part of her heart. She kept hoping and wishing that the black car would stop or turn around. But it didn't. It kept going, and even long after it had vanished from sight, she continued to stare in the direction it was heading, praying she would see it returning in the opposite lane.

It didn't.

Jude fisted her hands in her hair and pulled, trying to maintain at least a tiny ounce of her shattered composure.

_He left me. He left me. He left me._

She repeated it over and over in her mind, refusing to accept the simple fact.

_He left me. He left me. He left me._

The words were spinning in her head faster and faster. They became a jumbled mess, not meaning anything. Finally they began to slow down, until it was repeated for the last time.

_He **left** me._

As hard as it was to believe, Jude knew this was real. Tom Quincy had just left her, for real...

And he wasn't coming back.


	2. Chapter 2

_You left her. You left her. You left her._

The words rang in his head as he sped away, refusing to let himself look in the rearview mirror and see her face. Because he knew if he did, he would probably turn around and go right back to her.

He did the one thing he had promised, the one thing he had sworn, that he would never do to her.

**One **thing.

He couldn't do it.

**One** promise.

He couldn't keep.

**One. **Single. Thing.

And he couldn't.

Tommy pressed the pedal further towards the floor, causing the car to accelerate even more. Adrenaline is what he needed. It would clog his mind and make him forget about what he had just done. Adrenaline was just a body's own form of alcohol and drugs, just another way to numb the pain. But it was legal, and free.

Lights, sounds, and buildings blurred, as did reality. The mantra was permanently on repeat in his head, and he didn't know how to turn it off.

_You left her. You left her. You left her._

It was the same thing every single time. When something went bad, he ran. Always had, always will.

_You **left** her._

No. Not this time. This time was going to be different. No more running, no more hiding from his problems. Not anymore.

If there was one thing in the world that could make him change his ways...it was her.

The highway was crowded and busy, but he didn't care. In one swift motion, he yanked the wheel sharply to the left and cut across several lanes of traffic, oblivious to the blaring horns directed at him by the people he cut off.

To him, there was no sign with a big U crossed out in red. There was just a dirt path connecting the two lanes of the highway that he intended to use, regardless of what some law might say about it.

Tommy heard the faint siren of an emergency vehicle, but since there were no flashing lights behind him he dismissed the noise. He had more important things to worry about, like getting Jude back.


	3. Chapter 3

_He's gone_.

That was the only thought to register in Jude's mind as she crumpled to the ground, silent sobs racking her body.

The prince can't leave his princess. That's not how the story goes.

_**That's not how the story goes!**_

She rocked herself on the cold, unforgiving asphalt beneath her. It had been such a long time since anyone had held her and rocked her. The last time she could remember had been years ago. She couldn't even remember why she had needed the comforting back then, but she did remember that Sadie had been the one there to offer it.

She wanted her big sister. She **needed** her big sister.

But Sadie wasn't there. She was gone away for the week, visiting the campuses of a bunch of the colleges she had applied to. No doubt she had gotten into all of them. Sadie was smart, unlike her.

Poor, stupid Jude.

Maybe if she was smarter he wouldn't have left. I mean, why would he want to stick around with her? She was a famous musician, yet she completely failed the final for her high school music class. And, she got a 6 in a math class...as a final grade.

_Stupid. Stupid! **Stupid!** _

It was a no brainer. She was just...

Stupid.

What else was she? Jude had never thought of herself as fat, but what if she was wrong? What if she really was and was just too blind to see it?

And if she was too oblivious to see if she was fat, what if she couldn't see that she was ugly as well?

Of course Tommy wouldn't want to stick around for her. He could probably have any Victoria's Secret model he wanted. You know, the beautiful, ungodly skinny ones that were smart enough to make it in that vicious business? Why would he hang around for some stupid, fat, ugly punk girl?

He wouldn't.

He **didn't.**

He was gone. And there was nothing she could do about it.


	4. Chapter 4

_What if she's gone?_

The previously blurred buildings and lights were now solid objects. He could clearly see each one as he passed it. It felt like the tires weren't spinning and the engine wasn't running. He couldn't get back to where he had started from fast enough.

It was the longest ride of his life.

He just hoped it wasn't going to be in vain.

What if he went too far this time? What if this was the time she finally cracked? He knew how much he pushed her, but she had always been strong enough to take it, to even push back most of the time. But things had been bad lately...and he didn't know if this was going to be that one straw, the one that would break her.

_Jude. Jude. Jude._

Her name kept him going, almost egging him on. Tommy finally realized something: without her, what was the point of anything? Besides her, there was nothing that had made him want to get out of bed every morning. It was only her. If he lost her, what would he do?

How could it have taken him this long to figure it out?

Screw professionalism.

Screw responsibility.

Screw rules.

Screw laws.

Screw age.

Screw anything and everything that told him not to, that he couldn't.

Screw himself for listening.

_Screw this damn red light!_

It finally changed to Darius' favorite color, and Tommy was gone before the other drivers even realized that it wasn't red anymore.

But what if he was too late?

That's an easy one.

He wouldn't be.

Except for the fact that traffic was completely stopped one block away from his destination.


	5. Chapter 5

_Get up. Move on. What else is there to do?_

Despite what she was commanding herself to do, Jude remained on the ground. How could she get over it so quickly?

_I love him. I love him. I love him._

Why did she always fall for guys like that? They take and take and take, everything she had, and she let them, because she loved them. But they never gave back. And now she was drained, there was nothing left for her to give anymore. For one simple reason.

_He doesn't love me._

Why could no one ever love her enough to stick around? No matter what she did, they always ended up leaving. Why?

Actually, she knew why.

She was a **reject**.

She wasn't **good enough**.

She just wasn't **worth it**.

She was **Jude**.

And **no one** wanted **her**.

Fine. She'd just accept that, and move on.

Because what else could she do?

Jude eventually bullied herself into getting up and joining the world again. But her legs were jelly from sitting for so long, and as she tried to stand, she stumbled.

Right into a lane of oncoming traffic.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hurry._

The cars in front of him weren't moving. Neither were the ones behind him or on the sides, so he was blocked in.

What the hell had happened? He had only left from here a little while ago, so it had to have just happened. Why wasn't anything moving?

_Move, dammit!_

This moment and what he did during it would be the most crucial part of his entire life. It would decide his fate with Jude, and whether or not she'd be present in the rest of his life. Simply, he was either going to get her back or lose her forever.

And he was adamant that it wouldn't be the latter, at least if he could help it.

_Move. Go. Go!_

Frustrated, Tommy slammed his hands against the steering wheel before shutting the engine off. He yanked the keys from the ignition and forcefully opened the door then slammed it shut after he exited the car. His feet began pounding against the ground as he ran the fastest sprint of his life.

For once, he didn't care that he forgot to lock his car. The only thing on his mind was Jude. She _had_ to still be there...if she wasn't, he didn't know what he'd do. He would be lost...so completely and utterly lost.

_Go._

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**A/N**: Push the reviewbutton. You know you want to. 


	7. Chapter 7

The lines started playing in her head. She didn't know why, or how, but they did, and she listened.

_There's something you should know_

_It always ends the same_

_I'm trying to hold onto a little piece of myself_

_The girl you know is so far gone_

How true that was. Too much heartbreak, too many broken promises, too many "mistakes." The Jude everyone once knew was long gone, and the one that had replaced her was almost nonexistent now, too. Broken too many times, broken beyond repair. Duct tape couldn't even fix her.

_Don't believe in love_

_I've watched it fade_

Mom and dad. Her super-heroes since she was five. If they couldn't last, how could it be possible for anyone else to, specifically her?

_I call out for your warm embrace_

_Please stop me_

_Tell me you want me wherever you are_

She wished, oh how she wished, that he would call her and tell her to meet him somewhere. She'd go to the end of the earth for him if he would only ask her. But he wouldn't.

_If it's up to me we'll never be apart_

_You said you didn't want me_

_You don't even care_

_Is it real or is it fantasy?_

Actions speak louder than words. And the tire marks he left on the cold, hard asphalt said it all.

_Friends are telling my I lost my mind_

_I don't know what to do_

_I'll keep everything I shared with you_

Every damn memory they'd shared together flashed before her eyes, the good and the bad. They would stay with her until the day she died, and long after.

_Let me break_

_No one helps me out when I bleed_

_I need to feel the pain_

_What makes me so bulletproof?_

Crash into her again and again and again. Why did everyone think she would just bounce back? Everything had a breaking point, except her, apparently. Until now.

_Maybe when this is over I will understand_

_My tears you'll taste_

She'd never understand. Not today, not tomorrow, not in fifty years. Never. Because Tommy whatever-the-fuck-his-French-real-last-name was the damn 8th world wonder, and she never even understood the original seven. History was not one of her strong points.

_It's such a long road that I couldn't follow_

_On the street I'm waiting_

_It's dark and I can't see my way_

_How long can I wait?_

For him, forever.

_I'll find my own way home if I gotta_

_And headlights in my eyes..._

Literally. With a speeding car behind them.


	8. Chapter 8

His lungs were burning, trying in vain to tell him to slow down and inhale some oxygen. But he ignored the pain; there was only room for one thing in his mind at the moment.

_Jude._

Finally rounding the corner that would bring him to his destination, Tommy was temporarily blinded by the flashing red lights of emergency vehicles. Emergency vehicles that were parked right in front of the small, elegant restaurant. The restaurant where he had left Jude only a little while ago.

The vehicles were there. So where was she?

He didn't stop running. If it was even possible, he went faster, wanting to know what had happened, but dreading what could be the reality.

People were walking around, talking frantically into walkie-talkies. Red lights were flashing everywhere, causing the atmosphere of the scene to be tense and uncertain. Car horns were blaring from impatient people stuck in the streets. Mounties were talking to bystanders, trying to figure out what happened.

And then there was him. Stuck in the middle of it all, not knowing what was happening. But more importantly, not knowing where his punk princess was at.

The EMT's had been huddled around something on the ground when Tommy arrived. They finally began to move away, and a stretcher quickly appeared. A woman was lifted onto it and strapped in.

He caught a glimpse of blonde locks as the body was rolled towards the open ambulance doors.

He quickly took several steps closer to the paramedics, trying to get a look at the person being wheeled to the waiting doors of the big white vehicle.

It couldn't be. No way. There were millions of people with long blonde hair.

It wasn't her. Fate wouldn't be this cruel to him.

_Minutes._

He was only gone for minutes.

He only left her alone for minutes.

This couldn't happen in mere _minutes_.

The girl on that stretcher wasn't the one he was looking for. He was sure of it.

But just as he was about to turn away, the girl's arm slid off the stretcher.

Allowing him to catch a flash of silver.

On her right hand.

On her middle finger.

Rested a silver star ring.

_Jude._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Someone asked about the guy who was in the car with Tommy in the finale. Well, I started writing this story before the finale aired, so he didn't exist in my mind. But, to appease your curiousity, consider this a summary of the lost chapter: _When Tommy was driving on the highway the passenger door just **mysteriously** flew open and the old creepy guy wasn't wearing a seat belt and he fell out and there just _happened_ to be an 18-wheeler in the very next lane...so creepy old guy no more. That work?_

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**Part II - Hurt**

**Chapter 1**

He wearily lifted his head and began to blink rapidly, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes. His back and neck ached from the position he had slept in, slouched in an uncomfortable plastic chair, courtesy of the hospital staff. Finally he looked up at the reason he was here, and found her awake, sitting up and staring straight ahead at the bland white wall.

"Jude," he breathed out, almost on a whisper.

She didn't reply. She didn't blink. She didn't move. She didn't make any inclination that she had even heard him.

Tommy tried again, his voice more solid the second time around.

"Jude."

She remained motionless, impassive to his voice.

His tone became more desperate, anxious for any reaction from her.

"Please, Jude, say or do something, _anything_. **Please**."

Jude moved her head slighty towards Tommy, glancing briefly at his face before returning her gaze to the blank wall situated in front of her.

Encouraged, he lightly clasped her hand within his.

"How are you feeling?"

She shifted her head again, sending him a look that screamed, '_Did you **seriously** just ask me that? I was hit by a car, how the hell do you think I'm feeling?_'

Truthfully, it hurt to move. Every time she did, it felt like her chest was on fire. There was a constant, dull ache hear her hand, promising a messed up wrist. But she wouldn't tell him any of this, wouldn't even let it show. She would hide it--she'd become so good at that.

"How's the pain? Do you need me to get your doctor so she can increase your pain meds?"

This time, Jude didn't look at the man beside her. She merely removed her hand from his grasp and continued staring at the wall, enveloped in her own thoughts.

_What did he think he was doing? Why was he even in here with her? Should't he be on that flight, the one that was so important for him to be on that he couldn't even offer her an honest, decent farewell? All she was worth was a cold, heartless "Bye." No explanation, no "I'm sorry," just one damn monosyllabic word. And now here he was, asking all these questions, like he actually **cared**?_

_She wasn't buying it._

_He left her. End of story._

_And as for that pain medication...she didn't know of anything that could soothe a broken heart._


End file.
